The midterm contests for the Senate, House of Representatives, and 36 governorships produced drama aplenty in 2002. A tragic plane crash killed a U.S. senator just ten days before the election, casting his state into mourning and political confusion. Another senator, losing in his reelection bid because of corruption, chose to withdraw in mid-campaign. The president's own brother was involved in a knock-down, drag-out campaign for reelection in the state that installed the current White House occupant by a grand total of 537 votes. But more than anything, the 2002 midterm elections featured a titanic struggle between the political parties for control of Congress. Both houses were narrowly divided in the so-called "50-50" America produced by the split 2000 presidential election. Which party, if either, would emerge with the spoils of war? In the end, there was no landslide, but there was a clear victor: the Republicans. And the colossus of 2002 was President George W. Bush, the driving force behind the historic GOP triumph. Firmly securing the House and recapturing the Senate gives Bush an unusual opportunity in American politics - to be stronger in the second half of his term than the first. Through a superb team of academics and journalists led by Dr. Larry J. Sabato, Midterm Madness: The Elections of 2002 analyzes and dissects this fascinating election season.
